Australian Garlic

Celebrating and understanding our garlic groups and cultivars

Australian White

Artichoke Group

Softneck - Non-bolting

This cultivar was selected from a single bulb and grown and developed by Roger Schmitke in Waikerie, SA, over 25 years. It was released in 1994.

General Information

International name/s: None, this is an Australian cultivar

Flavour: Mild, simple, vegetative, not complex

Storage: Medium to long.

Growing location: Mainly grown in northern SA and Victoria, Southern NSW. But also southern Victoria, Tasmania and WA.

Growing requirements: Cold temperate climate, cold winters, warm spring, hot dry summer.

Planting and harvest: Mid season

Bulb

Shape: Flat to teardrop shaped, 6-7 cm with convex base.

Skin colour and texture: Coarse white skins, sometimes with purple blotches.

Clove

Number and layout: 10-14 in two layers.

Size and shape: Larger flat outer cloves with concave inner surface, 2-3 cm tall x 2 cm wide. Taller, smaller more slender inner cloves. Note the two larger flatter cloves in the picture below.

Skin colour and texture: Tan and pale pink to white, fine tight skins that can be difficult to peel.

Plant

Size and shape: Short, wide and spreading.

Leaves: Broad, pale to yellow green leaves at 45° to pseudostem. Fold in middle.

Young plants: Germinates readily, plants grow quickly and resemble adult plants.

Matures: Usually mid-season.

Scape: None

Umbel and beak: None

Bulbils and flowers: May very occasionally produce bulbils in the pseudostem in colder climates.